Cookie season--the best time of the year-- has arrived. And to celebrate, let's make soft molasses cookies. While cutout gingerbread cookies rule during December, I've always held a special fondness for their cookie cousin, the soft molasses cookie.

Made with a generous amount of molasses and brown sugar, these drop cookies bake up crisp on the edge and soft in the center. The spiciness-- from ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves--balances the sweetness of the cookie in a perfect way.

For this cookie, I wanted to play with a dairy-free and whole grain recipe. So out went the butter. Instead of using a solid shortening, which makes cookies crisp, I reached for liquid vegetable oil. The flours are a lovely blend of oat, brown rice, millet, and corn flour. None of the flours take center stage. In fact, these cookies don't possess that unpleasant grittiness that too often comes along with whole grain gluten-free baked goods.

The finished cookie tastes almost buttery--even though there's not a drop of dairy in them. A stack of these slid into a pretty cellophane bag makes a wonderful gift for any cookie lovers on your list.